Gavin Gracey

Kwame Alexander is the author ofThe Crossover,Rebound,and several other best⁃selling titles.Millions of young people around the world have read and love his novels and poems.

I once spoke with Alexander at the National Book Festival in Washington,D.C.I asked about his new novel,The Door of No Return.The novel follows the frighten⁃ing journey of 11⁃year⁃old Kofi Offin after a tragedy changes life in his West African village.Here are highlights from my con⁃versation with the author.

The theme of this year's National Book Festival is“Books Bring Us Together”.Do you think that's true?

Absolutely,books can bring us to⁃gether.Books can be mirrors where we see ourselves,and books can be windows to see other people.We become more con⁃nected to each other and to ourselves.

Did any experiences inspire you to writeThe Door of No Return?

I went to Ghana,in West Africa,11 times.The name Kwame comes from Ghana.Going there so much,tasting the food,meeting the people,and putting my feet in the ocean,I felt some type of kin⁃ship (亲切感).I felt like I was connected to this place.I wanted to write a story that was related to it.Those trips inspired me.

In the book,the character of Kofi is faced with an unexpected challenge.How do you think challenges can bring us to⁃gether?

We can't figure everything out on our own.Sometimes,we need help from other people.We realize that we have others around us who can support us,give us ideas,and help us.That makes us a stron⁃ger family and community,and stronger,better people.

Reading Check

What inspired Kwame Alexander to writeThe Door of No Return?